Narin & Portnoo Golf Club

Vice-captain, Hugh Francis Shovlin enjoyed a handsome victory in the Brennan’s Bread stableford played on Sunday last, shooting 41 points off an 18 handicap. His nines were nothing if not consistent, accumulating 20 points going out (helped by a birdie at the third) and increasing that score by 21 points on the return. His four shot winning margin over Cathal Donoghue illustrated the quality of his golf and he was a worthy winner.

Hugo Duggan won the Wednesday Open with 36 points, repairing the damage of a blank on the second by garnering eight three-pointers over the last eleven holes. The nineteen handicapper will be especially pleased with his score of level gross over the final five holes.

This Sunday sees the club host the regional qualifying round of the Jimmy Bruen. The course will be closed accordingly. Bank Holiday Monday has an open stableford event on the fixture card sponsored by Patrick Johnny Sally’s Bar in Dungloe.

Marcel Proust wrote that, “People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive”. Those words were rarely more manifest than last weekend as we all tried to cope with the tragic and heart-breaking news of the passing of our beloved golf professional, Connor Mallon. He was just thirty-five years old.

He was the first to hold the position in the 82-year history of Narin and Portnoo Golf Club and we came to rely on him from the off. The shop was a haven from the wind and rain and many a golfer sat for hours with Connor, discussing the latest sports news and enjoying the banter as he went on about his business. You knew he liked your company and even on sunny days, there would invariably be someone ensconced in the big armchair.

Kids loved him, for in Connor, they saw a kindred spirit. You could see their admiration in the respectful attention to his tuition at his golf clinics. He indulged them with Mars bars, golf balls, caps and tee-shirts, creating for them a friendly club atmosphere in which they felt comfortable. He knew they were the future of the club and they will always look back to their first and greatest golf teacher and mentor.

When Connor spoke to you, you had his full attention. Nothing was too much trouble. His lessons were superbly efficient and positive affairs, full of praise and good advice. Finnian O’Doherty was the first of our young members to graduate from the Connor Mallon school of excellence and he is now reaping the benefits on a golf scholarship in the States. He has lost not just a coach and mentor, but a great friend.

People came from far and wide to our club because of Connor. He marketed and promoted us at every opportunity, bringing the name of Narin and Portnoo to diverse spots around the globe. The many people paying tribute to him on the internet have commented on his good nature, his quick wit and his genuine love of people; how one meeting was all it took to come under his spell, as one blogger recounted who met him in Florida this past January. Fans from North West to Ballyliffin to Florida were testament to that magnetism and charisma.

And what a golfer! His poise and balance were superb, his temperament ideal and his talent there for everybody to see. The quality of his ball-striking was exemplary, which combined with his course management often resulted in scores well below the par of 73. It was a privilege to play with the big fellow and he was never bothered about how high your handicap might be. The craic and the possibility of a good yarn or two were his lifeblood on the golf course, though competitive juices were sure to flow if birdies were required in a keenly contested fourball.

Reminiscences of happier times filled our waking moments as we prepared to lay our friend and colleague to rest: the bear hugs, the friendly salutations, the eclectic fashion statements, the booming laughter and genuine conviviality. Tears flowed as it dawned on us how great a loss he will be.

Others knew Connor better and for longer. We only had the pleasure of his company for four dynamic and fun-filled years. Connor and his assistant, Daragh were an irresistible combination, as fluid and supportive a pairing as you could ever hope to meet. They brought a life and vitality to our club which made it such a happy place to hang out. The other staff members thought the world of Connor and his escapades and the yarns will resonate around the clubhouse and course for years to come. They, and Daragh, will miss him greatly.

We will continue to pray for Shawna and their four young children, and for all his family, friends and colleagues. Their loss is incalculable. He has left an indelible mark on our club and will never be forgotten. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam galánta.

The A.G.M. will take place in the Dolmen Centre at 6p.m. on Friday, December 30th. All full members are entitled to attend.

Eamon McGill won the Christmas Hamper with an excellent score of 69 nett playing off 10 handicap. A double bogey at the start was not a promising omen but with the experience of many a hard-earned win down the years, Eamon responded like a true champion, parring seven of the remaining holes on his front nine. Birdies at 13 and 14 proved the master was still a force to be reckoned with and he ran out a comfortable winner by two shots from Danny McGarrigle.

Paddy B. Boyle won the final big prize of the Christmas period when capturing the Christmas Cracker on Sunday last. Over 40 golfers avoided the Christmas shopping by escaping to the links and the mild weather was a godsend after so many hard days recently. The multi-talented Loughfad resident enjoyed a three point margin of victory over Sean Cafferty in second.

The last two Wednesday Opens were cancelled due to the poor weather.

The club wishes all its members and friends a most peaceful and happy Christmas.

John Callaghan won the final stableford of November by a single point from Paul McCloskey in second. The bulk of his work was accomplished on the outward nine, with three three-pointers accompanying six regulation two-pointers for a halfway total of 21. It was harder coming back but John kept a blank off his scorecard and the two points achieved at the last guaranteed his success.

Last Wednesday’s Open was cancelled due to the inclement weather so the opportunity to golf on Sunday was welcomed by the mid-week crew. The hailstones were not too inviting, and yet scoring was quite good, with Harold Reid and Donie McCole excelling with 39 stableford points for a two-point victory. The Mini-Hamper scheduled for last Sunday has been deferred to a future date.

The club has moved up the rankings in the “Golf Digest” top 100 courses of Ireland for 2012. We were the biggest mover in Donegal, moving up 8 places to 43rd and we are now in the top 25 links courses in the country. All those responsible for the improvement in our rating improvement in recent years are to be highly commended for their hard work.

The PGA Ulster Alliance rolled into Narin and Portnoo recently and the good weather was enjoyed by golfers of low and high handicaps. The two-day format saw Barrie Trainor win the Monday round with 36 points and David Hughes the following day with 41 points. The home club’s Sean Hanrahan was leading amateur on day two with 40 points.

The club’s Gaeltacht side won 6-4 at home to Cruit Island on Saturday week last, a good victory over traditionally awkward local rivals. The team captain Michael Naughton will be hoping for further good performances in the months to come so as to ensure qualification for the top four play-off the final of which will be played in Narin and Portnoo. Best of the pairings in the stableford event was that of Eamon McGill and Joseph McLoone who scored a huge 45 points. Joseph had three twos on his card, which was remarkable in itself. The next two pairings (Columba Gavigan & Anthony Thompson; Dominic Mullin & Sean McGinley) had 44 apiece, illustrating the quality of the golf on display.

The annual encounter between the ladies and gents was played in good spirits as always, though the number of golfers playing was affected by the Ardara-Glenties league final played the same afternoon. The result was a tie, so the spoils were honourably shared on the day.

Patrick Boyle of Narin was the winner of the latest Wednesday Open with 35 points off 11 handicap over 16 scoring holes. A good first nine of 21 points featured six pars and a birdie on 13 helped towards his three under par overall total. Jack McCann was the previous week’s winner with 34 points off 20 handicap. He had two shots to spare over John McBride in second and it’s good to see Jack back in the winner’s enclosure. Last Wednesday’s Open was cancelled.

Kevin McHugh and Owen Boner won the fourball played on November 13th on a break-off-tie from Michael Naughton and Gerald McDwyer. Their front nine wasn’t spectacular, with a few too many sixes littering the card. The return for home was a different matter as fours and threes predominated. Birdies on 12 and 13 by Owen were most opportune and the par from Kevin on 18 proved the winning score.

Richard Rafferty shot 40 points off 19 handicap to win the stableford on November 20th, edging out Daniel McGeehan in the process. A steady front nine was enhanced on the way home by virtue of birdies on 13 and 16 for a deserving victory.

The Pro Shop has its Christmas Sale in full swing with great bargains to be had. We are now also available on Facebook. With tips from Connor, a few photos and Facebook-only giveaways coming soon – you might just enjoy it! Why not share with your Facebook friends and help us get to 200 “followers” by Christmas! The link is: www.facebook.com/NarinPortnooGolfClub

The club has moved up the rankings in the “Golf Digest” top 100 courses of Ireland for 2012. We were the biggest mover in Donegal, moving up 8 places to 43rd and we are now in the top 25 links courses in the country. All those responsible for the improvement in our rating improvement in recent years are to be highly commended for their hard work.

The PGA Ulster Alliance rolled into Narin and Portnoo recently and the good weather was enjoyed by golfers of low and high handicaps. The two-day format saw Barrie Trainor win the Monday round with 36 points and David Hughes the following day with 41 points. The home club’s Sean Hanrahan was leading amateur on day two with 40 points.

The club’s Gaeltacht side won 6-4 at home to Cruit Island on Saturday, a good victory over traditionally awkward local rivals. The team captain Michael Naughton will be hoping for further good performances in the months to come so as to ensure qualification for the top four play-off the final of which will be played in Narin and Portnoo. Best of the pairings in the stableford event was that of Eamon McGill and Joseph McLoone who scored a huge 45 points. Joseph had three twos on his card, which was remarkable in itself. The next two pairings (Columba Gavigan & Anthony Thompson; Dominic Mullin & Sean McGinley) had 44 apiece, illustrating the quality of the golf on display.

The annual encounter between the ladies and gents was played in good spirits as always, though the number of golfers playing was affected by the Ardara-Glenties football final played the same afternoon. The result was a tie, so the spoils were honourably shared on the day.

Patrick Boyle of Narin was the winner of the latest Wednesday Open with 35 points off 11 handicap over 16 scoring holes. A good first nine of 21 points featured six pars and a birdie on 13 helped towards his three under par overall total. Jack McCann was the previous week’s winner with 34 points off 20 handicap. He had two shots to spare over John McBride in second and it’s good to see Jack back in the winner’s enclosure.

Kevin McHugh and Owen Boner won the fourball played on November 13th on a break-off-tie from Michael Naughton and Gerald McDwyer. Their front nine wasn’t spectacular, with a few too many sixes littering the card. The return for home was a different matter as fours and threes predominated. Birdies on 12 and 13 by Owen were most opportune and the par from Kevin on 18 proved the winning score.

We are now available on Facebook. With tips from Connor a few photos and Facebook only giveaways coming soon – you might just enjoy it. Why not share with your facebook friends and help us get to 200 “followers” by Christmas! The link is: www.facebook.com/NarinPortnooGolfClub

Pauric O’Donnell triumphed in the competition played last Sunday by a huge seven shot margin. The 20 handicapper took advantage of the benign conditions to attack the course, settling for 20 points on the outward nine (including a blank) and then upping the ante coming home, birdying 10 and 14 en route to 25 points. Michael McGinley was a distant second but will be well pleased with his return to the podium. Seamus McDonagh will likewise be content with his third-placed finish.

There was no competition played last Wednesday due to the poor weather. Joseph Shovlin won the sponsors’ event on Guy Fawkes Day with 45 points off 13 handicap. This converts to a round of 77 gross, a fabulous return for the big-hitting Narin golfer.

The club’s Gaeltacht team under the captaincy of Michael Naughton played their first matches away from home, picking up only one and a half matches against a formidable-looking Portsalon but an improved three and a half matches in Cloughaneely. The onus now is on the lads to maximise their advantage in the upcoming home matches and we wish them every success.

The draw for the Winter Matchplay will be made on November 20th and entries and fees payable (12 euro per pair) can be made in the Pro Shop.

Simon Thornton of Royal County Down is to be congratulated on regaining his full playing card for next season’s European Tour following his finish of 12th in the Challenge Tour Rankings. Simon is a regular visitor to Narin and Portnoo and has featured well in the Pro-Ams in which he has competed, finishing second in 2007 and third this year.

The club’s over-50s team came up just short in its second leg of the final with Ballybofey and Stranorlar. The away team needed just a point following the disappointing first leg and they did the needful, despite some excellent performances by the Portnoo pairings. We congratulate Ballybofey & Stranorlar on their success and compliment James Quinn’s team on their performances throughout their long run in the competition. Playing on Sunday were Willie Quinn & Ciaran O’Kane, Patrick Boyle & Eamon McGill, Michael Nicholson & Sean Cafferty, John Quinn & Frankie Kennedy, and Conal Keeney & Seamus Ryan.

A successful golf fundraiser in aid of the Donegal Hospice was held on Saturday and the scoring was excellent. The in-form P.J. Gallagher won out in the end with 41 points, his second win in a week following his success in the Wednesday Open three days earlier. On that occasion, P.J. had finished with 39 points off ten handicap. Now reduced to playing off nine, P.J. parred seven of the holes going out and a further six on the return leg to the clubhouse. The addition of a birdie on 14 capped a fine performance.

Another in-form golfer, Tom Rawdon matched P.J.’s score the following day in the Sunday Stableford. The Killybegs golfer accumulated 22 points on the front nine and a birdie on 14 ensured that his productive work hitherto would be enhanced further. He had four points to spare over Jim Harley in second.

Martin Sweeney won last Sunday week’s stableford with a huge score of 43 points. Again, the bulk of the work was done on the front nine, with 23 points a major boon. More quality golf followed on the back nine, with the closing holes in particular negotiated with aplomb.

Gerald McDwyer won the annual Leo Molloy Fundraiser held on October 15th. The steady Glenties golfer led the field with 45 points and he needed to be so exacting on the course because others were hot on his tail such as Conal Gillespie (43) and Mickey Campbell (42). Gerald bucked the recent trend of having a better front nine by shooting 23 points on the return leg, a wee two on 16 the highlight. Having said that, his front nine was not to be sniffed at, including as it did no fewer than five pars and a birdie! Rita Cooney won the ladies’ event with an excellent 39 points.

The next presentation of prizes will take place on Saturday, November 5th at 8.30p.m. All those who finished in the first three places in the following competitions should be in attendance: Killybegs Golf Society; Co-Lab Medal; Value Centre; Glenside Bacon; Glenties Golf Society; J. Kelly & Sons; Nesbitt A4rms Medal; Glenties GAA Medal.

A sponsors’ event will take place on Saturday, November 5th commencing at 10a.m. All sponsors in 2011 are invited to enter a fourball and a complimentary tea/coffee and scone will be available on arrival.

The ringer competition has been cancelled through lack of interest in the event. The two matchplay events are in the final stages and we look forward to the resolution of these long-running and prestigious competitions. Meanwhile, the eight winners of the monthly medals will face off to decide the 2011 Golfer of the Year. The draw is as follows: (1) Sean Hanrahan v Kevin Patton; (2) Mickey Campbell v Myles Cunningham; (3) John Quinn v Charlie Diver; (4) Paul McCloskey v Peter Shovlin. These matches must be played by November 20th and no extensions will be countenanced. The semi-final must be played by December 4th with the winners of 1 v 4 and 2 v 3.

The draw for the Winter Matchplay will be made on November 20th and entries and fees payable (12 euro per pair) can be made in the Pro Shop.

The annual match between the Ladies & Gentlemen will take place on Saturday 12th November. The tee is reserved from 11 – 12pm. Any ladies who wish to play, please add your name to the list in the ladies locker room.

The November Links will be on 5th November, tee time 10:20am to 10:50am.

PLEASE NOTE: Tuesday 8th November’s competition has been moved to Friday 11th November. Players can arrange to go at any time on the Friday.